Future of NRL refereeing at stake as Matt Cecchin set to depart

05 August 2018 06:00

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With his revelation of death threats, fans may finally change the way they relate to officialsAt the peak of David Beckham mania in the 2002 Fifa World Cup, when sales of “Becks’ haircuts” were at an all-time high, ten-year-old Tom Sylvester decided to buck the trend. Instead of going with a hairdo The Guardian described as “tough, mini-mohawk” or “Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver meets Mr T ,” young Sylvester went with the haircut of England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson: semi-circular bald patch, middle of his head.It’s unknown if Sylvester ever thought of becoming a rugby league referee. But a similar other-minded, outlier nature would be advantageous in taking up a role so thankless and poisonous that the NRL’s best referee has decided to give it away. And while it’s rare and unfortunate that a referee would be the focus of a game, Cecchin’s decision to quit could be rugby league’s line in the sand when it comes to the plight of referees. Related: Manly's golden point NRL victory harms Cronulla's top-four hopes Continue reading. . read full article